Hungary To Allow Transit of Aid to Ukraine

On Tuesday, Ukrainian media reported that Hungarian authorities would no longer block the transit of foreign aid packages to Ukraine, such as weapons and other military supplies intended for Kiev through its territory.

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The report indicated that Hungary’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Magyar Levente paid a visit to the western Ukrainian city, where he reportedly announced the change in Budapest’s official position to the local mayor. The Hungarian Foreign Deputy said that Hungary itself will not send weapons to Ukraine, but “third countries can use our territory.”

The Hungarian official said that Budapest would also open its hospitals for treating Ukrainian military personnel and civilians. He said his country would also offer 1000 scholarships for Ukrainians at Hungarian universities.

Earlier in July, Peter Szijarto, Hungarian Foreign Minister, announced that the country would not allow weapons to transit across its territory, citing that this practice could risk humanitarian aid deliveries and the safety of Hungarians living on the other side of the border. “We don’t want [Russians] to shoot at the areas where Hungarians live; that’s why we would not like to get involved in this conflict,” Szijarto said on July 5.

It is expected that he will attend a UN Security Council session after landing Tuesday in New York. The Hungarian Minister has not posted any statement on its social media regarding the change in Budapest's policy towards deliveries to Ukraine.

The spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, has not yet posted anything about the allowance of weapons transfer through Hungarian territory.